A common stereotype about gamers is that they have short attention spans. As announcements for new games and hardware come and go, it’s easy to lose sight of the momentous events that shaped the gaming world. This Week in PlayStation highlights Sony’s rich videogame heritage, which dates back to the 1980’s. Step back in time with us as we put the spotlight on events big and small that have significantly altered the gaming culture.
This Week in PlayStation March 20th – March 26th
March 20th
- 2008 – Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 hits the European marketplace.
- 2008 – Ubisoft announces that it has acquired the full Tom Clancy intellectual property.
- 2008 – Sony announces that it will be updating the PS3 firmware to match Blu-Ray industry standard by giving PS3s BD Profile 2.0, or in other words, Blu-Ray live.
March 21st
- 2006 – Electronic Arts ships The Godfather to North American retailers.
March 22nd
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2005 – Gamers get their first date with Kratos. Yes, the original God of War releases to lucky North American gamers, who before then, had never experienced anything like it.
March 23rd 
- 2005 – Gran Turismo fanatics get their latest fill: Gran Turismo HD Concept hits European stores.
- 2006 – A sad day for fans of Sony’s classic gaming console. Sony officially discontinues production of the original PlayStation.
- 2007 – Although North American and Japanese audiences had gotten to experience Sony’s newest behemoth for a full five months already, the Australian and European markets finally get a release of the highly-anticipated PlayStation 3.
- 2009 – Xi, the first-ever console based ARG, begins in PlayStation Home. Gamers around the world are feverishly trying to acquire the clues in order to solve a mystery.
March 24th 
- 1999 – Electronic Arts’ Need for Speed: High Stakes hits PlayStations everywhere.
- 2005 – The PSP hits the Canadian and North American audiences. Gamers wait in line for hours, eagerly waiting for Sony’s first foray into the handheld gaming market.
- 2006 – A mere 3 days later, European gamers get to have a taste of mob life. The Godfather ships to European store shelves.
- 2006 – Electronic Arts names the cover athletes for their highly anticipated title, 2006 FIFA World Cup. A different athlete will grace the cover in each respective country. 10 different and unique covers ship out.
- 2008 – Warren Jenson announces he is resigning as EA’s Chief Financial Officer. He has been with EA as the company’s CFO since 2002.
- 2009 – Ubisoft announces R.U.S.E., a new game destined for the PS3. Developed by Eugen Systems, R.U.S.E. is a real-time strategy game that allows gamers to control nations and wage all-out war.
March 25th
- 2004 – Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time wins two prestigious awards at the Game Developers Choice Awards. Prince of Persia took awards home in Excellence in Programming and Excellence in Game Design.
March 26th 
- 1997 – Sony announces its revolutionary gaming service and club, PlayStation Underground. PlayStation Underground promises gamers a behind-the-scenes peek at game development and exclusive demo CDs.
- 1999 – Tank Racer, an exciting racing game by Focus Multimedia Ltd., hits the PlayStation.
- 1999 – Attention to Detail’s Rollcage zooms to PlayStations everywhere.
- 2008 – In what would be considered a drastic move, the Take-Two Board of Directors reject Electronic Art’s buyout, valued at $26 dollars a share. The Chairman of the board revealed that, “Our stockholders’ interests would hardly be served by accepting an offer from EA at the wrong price and the wrong time. As a result, the Board recommends that stockholders not tender any of their shares to EA.”
- 2009 – In only 15 months in retail, EA announces that the Rock Band franchise has surpassed $1 billion in North American sales.
